Magnolia carts two-piece, mobile and detachable ice cream cart for hand-dipped ice cream

ABSTRACT

The hand sink portion of this ice cream cart easily connects and disconnects from the dipping cabinet at the ¼″ tube connection under the ball valve at the dipping well and at the large gray PVC coupler connecting the wastewater line just inside the left door of the sink cabinet. When disconnected, the ¼″ dipping well tubing curls back up and stays inside the sink cabinet and the ends of the 1″ clear wastewater tubing stick together to form a large ring and fit under the bracket at the top of the dipping well on the dipping cabinet. This easy detachability, separateness, and mobility between the dipping cabinet and the sink cabinet is what makes this cart new and unique.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention came about as a result of the inventor's (Michael A. Switzer) need for an affordable ice cream cart that could be used indoors for ice cream catering purposes and that could be transported in the back of a mini-van. The inventor is and has been a Baskin Robbins ice cream store franchisee since December, 1999 and began ice cream catering services in April, 2001. The ice cream cart the inventor began using for catering is a large, four-foot wide by eight-foot long by eight-foot high piece of equipment built onto large trailer wheels and towed with a built-in trailer tongue. It is manufactured by All-A-Carts of Columbus, Ohio and its cost is approximately $12,000. Because of its size, this cart could not be taken to very many indoor catering events, yet the inventor's Baskin Robbins store was receiving many requests for indoor catering. So the inventor began searching for an alternative cart that was small enough and affordable enough for that purpose. As part of the inventor's research, the local health department was contacted to assure that all requirements were met. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requirements are that the cart used for hand-dipped ice cream must have a dipping well with running water, a fresh water source, a waste-water tank with at least twice the capacity of the fresh water source, and a hand sink with hot and cold running water. These requirements have since been found to be mostly universal by all state health and or agriculture departments. Extensive Internet searches only turned up carts that had to be towed either directly or on or in a trailer, some had limited views or no view at all of the ice cream, and all cost between $5,000 and $15,000. So the requirements of the inventor was a cart for hand-dipped ice cream with the following:

-   1. Meets health and agriculture department requirements -   2. Will go through most doorways easily and so can be used indoors -   3. Fits in the back of a minivan -   4. Glass lid for viewing the ice cream -   5. Retails for under $4000.00

Over a trial-and-error period of one year, this led the inventor to assemble a two-piece, mobile ice cream cart for hand-dipped ice cream that he now retails to other ice cream vendors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is the only mobile ice cream cart known to the inventor that has a detachable mobile hand sink. The hand sink connects to the dipping cabinet via two small hoses. The sink contains an electric water pump, electric hot water heater, and connects to a fresh water source and a waste-water tank. The dipping cabinet has a dipper well that connects to the sink cabinet, has a sliding glass top for viewing the ice cream, and an umbrella for coverage from the elements. The advantages to this cart versus others are its flexibility and size, which allows it to fit completely into the back of a minivan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE PHOTOS

Photo Labeled Number 1: This is a view from the back of the ice cream cart showing the hand sink connected to the dipping cabinet, the fresh water tank and the waste-water tank.

Photo Labeled Number 2: This is a close-up view showing how the waste-water line from the sink is connected to the waste-water line of the dipping cabinet and how the fresh water line that is connected to the dipping well comes from the sink. It also shows the interior plumbing to and from the faucet and hot-water heater.

Photo Labeled Number 3: This shows an overhead and close-up view of the waste-water line connections and the fresh water line connections to and from the water pump.

Photo Labeled Number 4: This shows an overhead and close-up view of the connections to and from the hot water heater and to and from the faucet.

Photo Labeled Number 5: This shows a frontal view of the completely assembled cart before the customer's graphics are applied

Photo Labeled Number 6: This shows a side view of the completely assembled cart before the customer's graphics are applied.

Photo Labeled Number 7: This shows a frontal view of the completely assembled cart after the customer's graphics are applied

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The mobile ice cream cart is assembled by first purchasing:

-   1. A Model GST-41 or GST-52 freezer from Caravell Sales and Service     in Boerne, Tex. -   2. A Model SC2001-1S Serving Cart from Uniflame Corporation in Zion,     Ill. This cart is made from painted black tubular steel and the     sink, ice bin, and folding shelf are stainless steel. -   3. One B & K lavatory faucet and a Bradford White model MIPC2U6SS     2-gallon electric hot water heater from Capitol Supply in Columbia,     S.C. -   4. A Quad II Diaphragm Model 4406-043 water pump, from Flojet in     Foothill Ranch, Calif. -   5. A 15-gallon Tote-N-Stor waste-water tank from Tony's RV in     Lexington, S.C. -   6. A standard 10-inch dipwell from The Dipwell Company in     Northampton, Mass. -   7. A 7-gallon fresh-water tank from any Wal-Mart -   8. A pair of seven-inch steel and hard rubber wheels from Lowes -   9. A pair of 3×{fraction (15/16)} inch steel and hard-rubber castors     with brakes and {fraction (3/8)} inch threads from Ace Castors in     Dallas, Tex. -   10. A 7½ foot outdoor umbrella with push-up aluminum pole from     Casual Line Corporation in Winter Garden, Fla. -   11. And purchased from a local hardware store, various other     plumbing and hardware which will be mentioned later in this     description.     Dipping Cabinet Assembly:

To the Caravell freezer, attach the dipper well at the top center of the back panel (see photo #1). Attach a 1″ tubular bracket to the center screw at the top of the dipping well to hold the wastewater lines when they are detached from sink cabinet (see photo #1). To the bottom of the dipper well water spout, attach a ¼″ ball valve (see photo #1). Attach a 1½″ tubular bracket to the top right corner and bottom right corner of the left panel (if facing the front) of the freezer. These are the umbrella brackets (see photo #6). Replace the four standard wheels on the bottom of the Caravell freezer with four 2½″ hard rubber and steel swivel castors (two of the castors with brakes). Attach 1″ gray PVC with barb to bottom of dipper well after inserting No. 3 cap thread gasket. Attach 7¾″ length of 1″ clear tubing to barb and secure with clamp. Attach gray PVC barbed tee to bottom of clear tubing and secure with clamp. Attach 1″ clear tubing to left side of gray PVC tee, secure with clamp, and insert other end into waste water tank (length to be determined by size of freezer) (see photo #1). To right barb of gray PVC tee attach 1″ clear tubing and secure with clamp. At other end of clear tubing (length to be determined by size of freezer) attach 1¼″ gray PVC coupling with barbed end and secure with clamp. Screw on other half of large gray PVC coupling after gluing in rubber washer.

Sink Cabinet Assembly:

Assemble the Uniflame serving cart according to directions in Uniflame box except, substitute two 7″ steel and hard rubber wheels for the large plastic wheels and the two 3×{fraction (15/16)}″ steel and hard rubber swivel castors with brakes and ⅜″ threads for the two plastic lockable swivel wheels (see photo #1). The plastic wheels from Uniflame don't hold up under commercial use. Remove stainless steel sink and attach drain, which comes with the serving cart. Attach 1½″×4½″ PVC drainpipe to bottom of drain.

Drill two ⅞″ holes in top of cabinet above sink and insert B & K lavatory faucet and tighten with plastic nuts (see photo #6).

Attach replacement grounded electrical cord to three wires coming out of water pump. Drill four holes in left side panel (when facing doors of cabinet) and attach water pump with nuts and bolts. Insert elbow nipple with ½″ barb in right side (inflow) of pump (provided with pump) and attach five feet of ½″ flexible hose over barb (see photo #3). At other end of flexible hose attach ½″ female hose connection and run through top back of cabinet and out through opening in right panel and into seven-gallon fresh water container (see photo #1). Insert ½″ nipple with male end into left side of water pump (outflow). Attach ½″ brass tee to the male end. Attach ½″ barb to center of tee and ½″ to ¼″ brass coupling to other end of tee.

Attach ½″×½″×¾″ galvanized tee by the ¾″ end to cold post of hot water heater. Insert ½″ brass barb to middle of tee. Insert release valve into top of hot water heater (comes with hot water heater). Insert ½″ to ⅜″ coupler to top of tee. Attach 12″ compression hose to coupler. Attach ½″ flexible white hose that comes with Uniflame serving cart to hot post of the hot water heater. Place hot water heater in cabinet and connect hoses to corresponding faucet posts. Connect brass tee at water pump to galvanized tee at hot water heater with ½″ flexible hose slipped over each barb and tightened with clamps (see photos #2, #3, #4).

Insert 5¼″ length of 1″ PVC pipe into PVC drainpipe under sink. Connect 1″ PVC elbow at slight downward angle. Insert 13½ length of 1″ PVC pipe into elbow. Attach 1″ elbow angled slightly downward towards front doors of cabinet (see photos #2, #3, #4). Attach bracket to hold PVC pipe to back of sink cabinet (see photo #3). Insert 9″ length of 1″ PVC into elbow. Attach 1″ PVC reducer to threaded PVC connector to ½ of large gray PVC coupling (see photo #3).

Attach ¼″ tubing to brass tee at water pump with threaded brass nut, brass tube insert and plastic washer and attach to other end of ¼′ tubing (length to be determined by size of freezer) the same size threaded brass nut, brass tube insert and plastic washer.

Now connect the sink cabinet to the dipping cabinet by pushing the sink cabinet up to the back corner of the dipping cabinet. Open left door on sink cabinet and attach ¼″ tubing to bottom of ball valve using small adjustable wrench (provided). Attach 1″ clear tubing (waste water line) by hand-screwing both pieces of large gray PVC coupler together.

Plug multi-outlet electric strip (provided) into wall, make sure switch is off on strip and plug hot water heater and water pump into strip. The sink and dipper well are ready to use once the switch on the strip is turned on and the fresh water inflow hose is inserted into the fresh water tank. 

1. the detachable two-piece nature of this cart. I have not found any other ice cream cart that has a sink cabinet that easily hooks up and detaches from the dipping cabinet. This makes my mobile ice cream cart fit easily into the back of a minivan and therefore can easily be transported in and out of buildings. The key to making it detachable are the easy connections of the waste water line and the dipping well line. Other ice cream carts have the same basic features in that they have a dipping well, hand sink, hot water heater, and water pump, however, mine is the only one I have seen that is in two pieces with the sink cabinet and the dipping cabinet each separate, mobile and easily connected and disconnected. 